Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

तीर्थयात्राप्रसंगेन कुन्त्या चैव समन्विताः । तस्मिन्काले महादेवि ज्ञात्वा क्षेत्रमनुत्तमम्

Transliteration

tīrthayātrāprasaṃgena kuntyā caiva samanvitāḥ | tasminkāle mahādevi jñātvā kṣetramanuttamam

Translation

Anlässlich der Pilgerfahrt zu den Tīrthas, begleitet von Kuntī—zu jener Zeit, o Mahādevī—erkannten sie dieses heilige Kṣetra als unübertrefflich…

Word by Word

• तीर्थयात्राप्रसङ्गेन: by/through the occasion of pilgrimage
• तीर्थयात्राप्रसङ्गेन: Karana (Instrument/Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ + यात्रा + प्रसङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (Neuter? actually प्रसङ्ग is masculine; Instrumental Singular; tatpuruṣa chain)

• कुन्त्या: with Kuntī
• कुन्त्या: Sahakarana (Accompaniment)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुन्ती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (Feminine, Instrumental, Singular)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• समन्विताः: accompanied/associated
• समन्विताः: Visheshana (Qualifier of पाण्डवाः implied)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-अन्-वि-इ (धातु/समन्वि) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (Past participle; Masculine, Nom., Plural)

• तस्मिन्: in that
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (Pronoun; Locative Singular)

• काले: time
• काले: Kala-adhikarana (Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (Masculine, Locative, Singular)

• महादेवि: O great goddess
• महादेवि: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (Feminine, Vocative, Singular; 'great goddess')

• ज्ञात्वा: having known
• ज्ञात्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); पूर्वकालिक-क्रिया (absolutive; prior action)

• क्षेत्रम्: the sacred place
• क्षेत्रम्: Karma (Object of knowing)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• अनुत्तमम्: unsurpassed
• अनुत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनुत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (Neuter, Accusative, Singular; adjectival)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (as anuttama kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī/Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The Pāṇḍavas and Kuntī arrive as pilgrims, pausing in awe as they ‘recognize’ Prabhāsa’s unsurpassed sanctity; distant temple silhouettes and tīrtha markers guide them; their faces show quiet realization.

Characters & Entities

• Kuntī
• Pāṇḍavas (implied)
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra
• Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is not mere travel; it is discernment—recognizing the sanctity of a kṣetra and aligning one’s life with dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra broadly, as the “unsurpassed” sacred field in this narrative frame.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tīrtha-yātrā (undertaking pilgrimage) is the implied practice; no specific ritual is detailed in this verse.